How many people work in West Hollywood?

Short answer: Between 27,000 and 32,000, which may be up or down, depending on the data source

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How many people work in West Hollywood? Put another way, how many West Hollywood jobs are there? The latest estimates we’ve found range from 27,065 to 32,385. The estimates are listed below. We don’t know which is best.

SOURCE OF ESTIMATE

LATEST ESTIMATE

UNITS

YEAR

City financial reports

32,385

Jobs

2014

Economic Census

31,291+

Employees

2012

SCAG

30,823

Jobs

2013

OnTheMap

27,779

Jobs

2013

American Community Survey

27,065

Workers

2010-14

Sources: City of West Hollywood: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2014, page 170, Table 15: Principal Employers; Census Bureau, 2012 Economic Census, Table EC1200A1; Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Profile of the City of West Hollywood, 2015; Census Bureau, OnTheMap, 2013; Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), 2000-2014, Table B08601. Note: To get the economic census estimate, we summed the number of employees for each industry group. When the number of employees was expressed as a range, we used the low end.

We suspect the divergence in estimates is due mainly to differences in methodology. The divergence seems big, but it’s not unique to West Hollywood. For example, if we compare SCAG’s estimate to the comparable ACS number, the SCAG estimate is 14% higher for West Hollywood, 7% higher for Beverly Hills, and 12% lower for Los Angeles.

Number of West Hollywood jobs over time

Depending on the source, the City may have gained or lost jobs over the last decade or so. The chart below illustrates the different patterns seen in different data sources. You can see the data source, year, and value by pointing at or touching each dot or line.

Source: Same as above, plus earlier years of the City’s financial reports and earlier years of the ACS.

% change in the number of jobs

If one of the City’s goals is stable or growing employment, then the % change in the number of jobs could be a measure of success. However, the actual % depends a lot on which source we choose. For example, between 2007 and 2013, the SCAG numbers suggest an 8% drop in West Hollywood jobs, while the ACS numbers imply 7% growth.

Another test of success could the % change in jobs compared to nearby cities. For example, if we use the SCAG numbers for 2007 to 2013, West Hollywood and Santa Monica had bigger declines than Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and Culver City. The numbers are in the chart below.

Short answer: Between 27,000 and 32,000, which may be up or down, depending on the data source|
How many people work in West Hollywood? Put another way, how many West Hollywood jobs are there? The latest estimates we've found range from 27,065 to 32,385. The estimates are listed below....

DavidWarrendavid_warren@post.harvard.eduAdministratorWeHo by the Numbers

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reports using data to explore city government policy, performance, and community issues. Focused on West Hollywood (WeHo), Beverly Hills, Culver City, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica. Researched and written by David Warren as a private citizen. This is not a government website.